Suit Game: Impeccable -> Tie Game: On Point!

 

There's no recap here.  You want a recap?  The Dynamo can't score.  They defend like madmen for 89.9 minutes (plus 11 minutes of stoppage time) only to see the game slip away by a total defensive blunder. There's the game.  That's it in a nutshell. That's EVERY game in a nutshell.  That's the SEASON in a nutshell. And look.......I get it.  It's frustrating to watch.  It's easy to throw the blame at Tab, or Matt Jordan, or (insert midfielder or fullback here), but the honest truth is: THIS TEAM IS JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH.  This won't be a recap, this will be a rant. 

It's a scary state, really, when your entire attack hinges on a 26-year-old left-footed Canadian who was a solid USL player for two years.  It's even scarier when the attack isn't even that effective when he's on the field.  Don't get me wrong, Tyler Pasher was a really nice signing.  He's been effective (when he's actually been in the lineup), he's our best wing player by a landslide, and he didn't cost all that much.  Last night was a night that reflected how absolutely mediocre this attack is.  It's a shame, because the defense has been massively upgraded this offseason. Tim Parker is as good as advertised, so is Teenage Hadebe.  Joe Corona and Derrick Jones have been really solid signings this year, and they fly all over the field and scoop up balls.  They occasionally make really nice plays with the ball at their feet, it's just not often enough.  Sam Junqua has made huge strides this year at LB, he's still got a ways to go.  The Dynamo just went three halves without allowing a shot on goal.  No matter who you are playing, that's quite a feat. They haven't allowed the other team to score in five of their last six halves. They hold shape well, they scramble and recover, and their work rate is tremendous.  It's just not going to be good enough.  

I began asking this question in the offseason: Where are the goals going to come from? The Dynamo are currently on pace to record their worst goal output season.....are you ready for this?........ever.  Their current average of 1.13 goals per game is the lowest in the franchise's history.  It's slightly behind 2016's and 2014's pace of 1.15.  What's most frustrating is against San Jose, the opportunities were there.  Corona hits Memo with a beautiful pass on the run after the high press gets the Dynamo possession and some combo play.  Memo times it up perfectly, and then hits the ball right to the keeper.  Fafa makes a great run down the wing, hits Memo with a perfect pass in the perfect spot with space and time.......and Memo blasts it off Griffen Dorsey's face.  He rushed it, he hit it horribly, and despite how open he was that ball had absolutely no chance of going in or allowing Dorsey to make a play.  Dorsey hit Urruti with a nice little chip pass 7 yards from the box.  Maxi can't get a good foot on it and just floats far to the back post.  Despite all the nice runs, terrific passes, and give-and-go action that led to players with the ball in dangerous positions, it took a wonder-strike from Mattias Vera to snatch a point. Tabs squad has scored 1 goal after the 56th minute the entire year, which coincidentally is when the only player wearing #ForeverOrange that has the ability to be a playmaking midfielder steps on the field.  It's frustrating, its infuriating, it's.........just soo mediocre. 

Not to keep rubbing it in, but I called that too in the pre-season. So, lets take a quick look at the attack and what is going wrong.  It's easy to blame it on Tab (and please don't take this is me giving him a pass), but that's not the focus here.  

Maxi Urruti:

It's hard for me to be critical of this guy.  I love his work ethic, he plays hard, and he plays 90+ minutes almost every game.  But, when your attack is hinging on a 30-year-old, journeyman center-forward who has never scored more than 12 goals in an MLS season......this is what you get.  Maxi is a hard worker.  He is one of the best pressing Center-Forwards in MLS.  He's just not particularly skilled with the ball at his feet.  Maxi basically has three problems: 

1. He can't turn:  When Urruti has gotten the ball in the slot, with his back to the goal, he can't simply turn and find (a) the goal; (b) a teammate.  Often he spends soo much time fighting for position he loses the ball.  He's not going to have that much time here.  Defenses are keying on him, because he's the only real goal-scoring threat we have.  By the time he tries to back away the defender, two more are on top of him.  Because of his slight frame, often all that work results in him gaining no ground and having the ball knocked away.  He's got to be able to find a teammate behind him and spin and run to space, or simply turn quickly.  
2. He has bad first touch:   When Urruti gets the ball in space, he often tries to take a first touch to quiet the ball down before he strikes it.  More often than not, that ball is knocked too far away for him to comfortably do anything with it.  This results in either him rushing something, or giving the ball away.  
3. He takes too many touches: Even when he takes a good first touch, Urruti is hesitant to simply shoot the ball.  He's got to be quicker, more direct, and simply put his laces on the ball.  Maxi gets himself (and the ball) in good positions inside the box and quite frequently never even gets a shot off. Hes' got 224 touches in the attacking third this year, and 62 inside the box. A perfect example came in the 40th minute against San Jose, after a nice shot by Fafa, the rebound came directly to Maxi.  He had the ball just inside the 18, with a defender at his back and the ball in the air.  Instead of simply waiting for it and hitting it on the way down, he tried to punch it up behind him, spun around the defender, took it over his shoulder again......and lost the ball.

Despite all the griping, Urruti is averaging 3.62 shots per game (9th in the league) and of the people in the top 10 in shots per 90, he has the highest On Target percentage of any of them (40.8%).  He's scored 6 goals this year, which is double what Mauro Manotas scored last year.  He's been an upgrade over Mauro from last year, but he can still be better for this club. His goals/shot, however(.12) is tied for 92nd in MLS.  Compare that with Pepi (.32) and Chicharito (.38). Last year he converted at .25 goals/shot. These stats also only account for the times he's touched or shot the ball.  He's yet to get on the end of some fairly crafty passes by Darwin Quintero.  Those two (much like Darwin and Manotas) are not on the same page at all.  With Pasher out, Maxi has to carry the load better.  He doesn't have to put the entire team on his back, he just needs to be more efficient when he has the ball.

Fafa Picault

There's not going to be a big write-up here.  I honestly didn't have large expectations from Fafa.  They were soo low in fact, that he's actually exceeded them already. Fafa works extremely hard.  He defends the entire sideline and tracks back like a maniac.  He's just not very good at what a winger should be good at.  Despite his speed, and his flashy ball skills, he's not very good with the ball at his feet. His left foot is actually extremely poor, especially on crosses. He occasionally goes by a defender and finds a wide-open teammate, but it rarely pays off.  He's not a very accurate shooter (Shot on Target % of 12.5%, which is 28% under his career average), and when he does find space to shoot it normally winds up in the stands.  In reality, Fafa is a stopgap for someone else.  He's 30 years old, is on the downside of his career, but is a major upgrade from the "Post Alberth Elis" guys we saw last year.  

Tyler Pasher

Tyler's actually been good and a pleasant surprise.  Of the signings, he was both the one I was most intrigued by and the one I had the least expectations for.  I thought it would take him a little time to get acclimated to MLS after spending the last few years in USL.  Your Friendly Neighborhood Canadian can actually play through.  Pasher actually needs to find a way to get more involved in the attack.  He's an extremely accurate shooter, and his SOT% of 57.1% is good for fourteenth in the league.  His conversion rate of 43% is second, and his .75 goals per shot is outstanding.  The problem is, he's only gotten off 7 shots in 531 minutes. That's less than a shot per appearance.  He's got to get more involved in the attack.  Pasher has 3 goals and 2 assists in 8 appearances (7 starts).  He's also the only guy on the squad that can effectively go past an opponent.  His success rate of 75% (15/20) is top 25 in the league, and only two players in MLS (Joe Gyau - FC Cincinatti 28/31; Andrew Brody - RSL - 17/24) with more than 20 attempts have a higher conversion rate than him.  The only gripe I have about Pasher (other than he's played in less than half the games so far) is that he completely disappears for stretches.  The Dynamo actually need to be running the attack through him down the wing as often as possible.  Pasher can play both sides, and the way he and Fafa switch sides throughout the game allows them to keep the defense honest and guessing.  Pasher has to insert himself more.

Memo Rodriguez

Think about this a second: Since the beginning of the 2020/2021 season, Memo Rodriguez is one of the least efficient goal scorers in the history of MLS.   His .086 goals per shot isn't just bad, it's historically awful.  He's taken the 22nd most shots in MLS (31), and his goals per shot (.06) ranks him 164th.  The problem isn't with his accuracy.  His 41.9 SOT% actually is pretty solid.  The problem Memo has is he either gets power or accuracy on the ball.  When he's on target, there's a lot of softballs directly to the keeper.  When he hits with power, it's never on target.  He had 2 great opportunities against San Jose, and failed to capitalize on either.  The aforementioned run off a great pass from Corona, and the time he got the ball in the slot off a low cross from Fafa.  The first was a soft, low shot directly to the keeper; the latter was a blast that was nowhere near a goalward trajectory.  I love to watch Memo play, I really do.  He has heart, he works hard, he's a good defender.  Memo just doesn't create goals, and he never has.  Memo doesn't score all that often, he doesn't create for others, and while he's getting better at being more direct he's just not a #10.  He's an #8 playing one though.  While I acknowledge that's not his fault, it's still ok to ask for better.

Final Thoughts:

There's plenty of other blame to go around.  I can (and will) spend the next two hours talking about how bad Darwin Quintero has been this year.  Quintero has been much better the last two games.  He's playing like he feels the pressure to make something happen every time he touches the ball, and he needs to be more composed.  The pass he had to Vera in the 83rd minute against San Jose on Saturday very well could have broken the game open.  Ariel Lassiter has provided virtually nothing to the attack with his minutes either.  Right now we are soo desperate to find something we are playing Lundkvist up top.  Joe Corona has a rare through ball here and there, but offers virtually nothing going forward either.  Remember, it's virtually impossible to make the playoffs averaging less than 1.3 goals/game.  We've got a way to go, and with Teenage/Parker in the back, it should allow the forwards to stay forward, and not have to desperately track back the whole game.  We need to open this offense up, and find some more goals.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown, and remember to stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

Total waste of a clean sheet: Dynamo 0:0 - Recap

 

Can I just start by saying how insane it makes me that almost every game we just start by banging the ball forty yards downfield to and giving it to the other team?  Can't we at least fake like we are trying to build an attack?  It's not just us, it's literally every game I watch in MLS.  It's just a total wasted chance at possession and it's a mindset that's gotta go.  

Tab tried something somewhat new.  He lined up in some sort of 5-3-2/4-1-4-1 - ish formation (honestly, this formation played soo weird nobody could really figure out what they were actually trying to do) that saw Fafa playing high on the right and Urruti staying more central.  They tried to balance this out by pushing Sam Junqua up on the left.  The Dynamo should have broken through in the 5th minute. A quick throw-in from Fafa found Derrick Jones right outside the 18.  Jones slipped inside the box with a nice touch and slipped a nice outside footer to Maxi Urruti about 12 yards out.  Maxi should have blasted it, but instead tried to take a touch to slip past two defenders and lost the ball and had it cleared for a corner.

Vancouver was sitting back in numbers, Tab was only sending three or four guys forward at the most.  Joe Corona and Mattias Vera almost never saw the ball and we were trying to build down the sideline for most of the first 20 minutes.  The defending was solid, with Zarek Valentine making several key plays inside the box.  But, at times, we would try to hit Fafa down the sideline and he would be the only person across midfield.  Fafa's not beating anyone 1 vs. 6.  We even lucked out and got a handball in a killer position, Urruti just bonked one off the post.  Most of the first half was relatively harmless.  There were moments here and there, but with the way both teams were dug in made chances few and far between.  There was a total of 7 shots (4 for Vancouver, 3 for the Dynamo) in the first half, 0 were on target. 

The second half wasn't much better, and as much as I hate to call this a snooze-fest, it was a snooze fest.  The game only saw 16 total shots the entire game, 1 on goal (the Dynamo), and the White Caps barely even broke the ball into the penalty box the entire game. The White Caps tried to come out strong, as Cristián Dájome fired a pass across the back of the Dynamo defense that found nothing other than the far touchline.  There were no attacking actions from either team, as both teams seemed content sitting behind the ball and playing for a 0-0 draw.  The one change wasn't a big one.  Tab heard our cries to not play Memo on the wing and ended up playing a weird system that saw Junqua, Lundkvist, and Corona all moving up there at times.  The result wasn't good, even though the defense was pretty solid.  

Vera Almost broke through early in the 50th minute, after a great pass and heads up dumby play by Urruti left Vera all streaking inside the 6-yard box.  Vera took a really bad first touch and the ball wound up being a corner.  This was the second time the Dynamo had great looks, and really bad touches lead to them being unable to even get a shot off. Urruti had a decent chance in the 54th minute after Lundkvist won a ball at midfield and hit Urruti on the run, but Urruti couldn't get the ball inside on his right foot and just blasted one into the second deck.  Lundkvist followed with a nice run down the left side and fired a nice low cross in behind The White Caps backline, but no one was really trying to get on the end of it.  A foul in the 55th minute allowed Vancouver almost the exact same chance at a free-kick as Urruti had earlier in the game, and Cristián Gutiérrez had the exact same goal post deny him.  

Tab tried to jumpstart the attack by throwing Memo and Darwin Quintero on the field for Derrick Jones and Adam Lundkvist at the 57th minute.  Tab has notoriously subbed late and not subbed at all at times this year.  It immediately saw Quintero find Memo with a nice look right outside the 6-yard box and Memo just flubbed it.  Darwin had another nice ball to Urruti (65th minute) after Junqua found him on a cross from the deep corner.  Darwin probably should have taken the shot, but wound up one-touching a ball that landed about 6" too far away from Maxi.  Quintero tried to find Maxi again at the 75-minute mark, only to hit it further than Maxi could run.  Darwin hasn't been great this year (that's an understatement) but at least he takes chances with the ball. They haven't paid off, and he's put the Dynamo in bad positions at times by giving the ball back to the other team in terrible spots, but at least he is trying to create going forward.  He was literally the only guy in the midfield that gave it a go on Tuesday night.  Eddie Robinson said he thought it had to do with lack of playing time, and not knowing the movements of Fafa, Maxi and Memo....and there's probably some truth to that, but we are over a 1/3rd of the way through the season.  I feel like he's pressing....just trying to make something happen every time he touches the ball.  Sometimes he just needs to make the simplest play that's available.  He's a vet, he needs to figure it out.  I still like him in an Attacking Midfielder role more than I like anyone else on the team, and hopefully, with Hadebe behind him there is incentive towards attacking play, but we'll see.  

This game was best summed up in the 87th minute when Glenn Davis asked "Do you feel one team wants to win this more than the other?"  Eddie Robinson's reply was simple and perfect: "No". Not only was there a total lack of urgency from both teams, but there was also a lack of any kind of execution from both.  It was lazy attacking soccer.  Hit the ball down the wing, lob a cross that has no chance of connecting, hope for a corner.  That was it.  The final score described the game perfectly.  I'm sure there have been exciting 0-0 draws in the world of soccer, but this was one of the 99%.  The Dynamo did what they do best over the last two years.....tie.....and made Matthew Doyle right again

It's scary how reliant this team is on Tyler Pasher.  Pasher actually gives us a chance every time he steps on the field and without him, it seems like we have nobody capable of creating shots.  We need another creative player, and hopefully one that can create behind Urruti, not one at the expense of our wings.  We need a backup wing capable of doing......uhhhh......anything. WIth Pasher and Lassiter out for the next couple of weeks in Gold Cup action, maybe it's time to see Bajamich make his first start of the year.....it seriously can't be worse.  Maybe it's time to move Junqua up and play him on the wing with Lundkvist behind him.  It seriously can't be worse.

Teenage Hadebe's Debut:

Teenage was solid, but not spectacular in his debut.  There was nothing flashy or eye-popping, but he was always right where he needed to be.  When your CB has a night where you don't really notice him, that's normally a good thing.  It's an encouraging performance actually, given the play we've had a CB opposite Tim Parker all year.  His stat line was pretty basic; 5 interceptions, 6 clearances, 3/3 on areal duels won, 7/14 on deep balls played.  Hadebe is long and rangy but also has really good footwork and technique. He kept guys in front of him and never got beat deep. I'm really excited to see what these two do back there this year.

The regression of the Dynamo Attack:

While most people are in agreement that the Dynamo defense has been much improved this year, Tab's attack isn't generating anywhere near the shots or attacking play it did last year.  Shots/90 have dropped by almost four shots per game (10.79 in 2021 vs 14.09 in 2020), they have dropped from fifth highest xG in MLS to fourth worst. Shots on Target/90 has gone from fourth-best (4.91 in 2020) to fifth-worst (3.36).  It's hard for me to put my finger on the exact cause as to why.  The attacking players (in my opinion) are much better than what was on the pitch at BBVA last year (after Elis left).  It's not translating into goals, and it's not even translating into opportunities.  Tab has to find a way to generate chances.  Of our midfielders, three of them are awful at creating shots.  Mattias Vera (2.03), Joe Corona (1.92) and Derrick Jones (0.92) combined create less Shot Creating Actions/90 than Darwin Quintero alone (5.14).  Memo Rodriguez is basically at the same level as last year (3.52 in 2021, 3.44 in 2020), and Tyler pasher has been solid but not spectacular (3.22).  This team has to find a way to create in a larger variety of ways other than lob it deep to Fafa Picault and hope for the best.  Playing passes that break lines to Urruti in the middle of the field is one way, but Urruti is spending soo much time tracking back and defending lately that option isn't available.  It's time for Tab and the staff to put pen to paper and figure out a better way.  The addition of Hadebe will hopefully require less of our forwards tracking back, and more of them playing....well...forward.

Next Up:

San Jose @ San Jose - Saturday, July 24th @ 9:00.

Thanks again for reading

#HoldItDown and say #ForeverOrange

Brian

No surprises in Seattle: Punchless Dynamo fall 2:0.

Was this a surprise?  A team about to break the record for the longest unbeaten streak to begin this season in MLS history, playing at home against a team that has never beaten them there, and who has also yet to win a single road game this year.  Houston is 0-3-10 in Seattle all time and has been outscored a staggering 20-3 in 13 matchups.  Not only is Tab's squad abysmal on the road (and they have been for the better part of 4 years now), they are also notoriously bad on turf.  Add to that we are playing without a starting CB, his backup, and our best playmaker in the midfield against THIS team........and it's just a recipe for disaster.  

This year's version of Seattle has been exceptionally good defensively.  At 0.62 Goals Allowed/90, and with a save % of a staggering 86.8%, you had to almost assume that we would be lucky to sneak one in.  Seattle plays a deep 3-5-1-1-ish formation.  They are nearly impossible to counter, they rarely make mental mistakes, and they beat you to every ball.  Their back three lie in constant wait, and never push to high forward in transition.  It's a tuff formation to crack, but if you want to see how to do it you can watch any of the games my boys from Eintracht lost this year lol. Seattle never gets too far stretched enough to allow you to slip through, and rarely turns the ball over in a bad spot to get countered.  Their Wing Backs (Jimmy Medranda and Alex Roldan) rarely push too high and are great at setting back, and Seattle's three holding midfielders are rarely out of position.  Jao Paolo and Kelyn Rowe really make it click, as they fire the ball to streaking players and create numbers advantages in transition. They are extremely difficult to break down, mostly because they usually have six extremely defensive-minded players that are always in position, making it impossible to break them down through the middle and really difficult to hit them deep.  We did have chances, most of them were long and off target, but we managed to break through a couple of times to get quality looks.  Most of those wound-up right in the lap of goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland.  

This game was a microcosm of many things: (1) How much better they are than last year. (2) How short they are of actually being a serious playoff contender. (3) How they have to play absolutely perfect just to have a chance to compete.  There can be no Sam Junqua missing the header away, and then getting beat by his mark to the goal as a result of him whiffing on the header.  This whiff also caused Tim Parker to be a step slow to come over and help.  All of our backs (Lundkvist, Valentine, Junqua, and Bizama) are completely helpless against pace, and an entire section of our attack is missing because of it.  Overlapping play is tricky because it only takes a bad turnover to leave them helpless.  Our system is more about hiding their weaknesses than accentuating......whatever it is their strength is.  Lundkvist is a steady (but not great) defender who can occasionally play a nice ball downfield.  Valentine is a poor man's version of Lundkvist.  Junqua (playing at CB) has terrible anticipation and gets beat with regularity.  He's been on the wrong end of the last three goals we've given up, but also on the business end of the last goal we scored.  Our back play is less about who can help us win, and more about who is less likely to cost us a goal.  

There's no huge write-up or breakdown for this game. No fancy pictures or diagrams.  Just what this game deserves: bland and frustrating.  Seattle was better than us.  We fought hard, we played better than I expected, and it still wasn't enough.  For 60 minutes I actually thought we could pull out a draw, but long before the second goal went in I realized it wasn't going to happen.  We hopefully have made one more upgrade in Teenage Hadebe.  He needs to be quality, and he needs to play now.  What will Griffen Dorsey be?  Where will he play?  Will he play?  I have no idea.  He's played SEVEN MLS minutes. He played 22 games in USL League 1 with one goal and five assists. I'm hoping he is more Tyler Pasher than Nico Lemoine.  I'm hoping he's an upgrade at Right Back.  What this team will be?  Time will tell.

One Last Thing:

I decided to go back and look at all the games Memo has played on the wing this year.  The result?  It basically backs up what we are all saying.  6 games, 451 minutes, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 Shot creating actions a game.  He has a terrible pressure rate from the wing, he's a below average passer from there, and he's getting off 1.3 crosses per game.  He can cut back inside and fire off shots, but he doesn't do it often enough.  What's interesting is we are 2-2-2 with him there, and there's basically no difference in our offensive/defensive output whether he plays wing or not.  While I don't like it, it's also not hurting us.  

Thanks again for reading.

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Recap: Dynamo 1:1 Cincinatti. A disappointing point in a frustrating game.

 

What a weird night. After the lightning delay, the weather was actually really nice although a little muggy.  We sat right behind one of my favorite player's families, and watching them cheer for their Daddy was an awesome and fun experience. There were lots of moments that had me get out of my seat and yell "oh oh oh!", and soo many breaks in play the game was just choppy and sloppy. The atmosphere was hopping, the crowd was electric at times, and it felt like a HOME GAME.  

There were also soo many things from this game that I can't wrap my head around. Some aspects of the night got me really excited but had nothing to do with what I saw on the pitch and just a soul-crushing result that has me throwing my hands up in the air at this team. Seriously, I was shaking my fist in the air and crying out in pain during this game.  I can't figure out how we wound up with one measly point (again),  I really can't understand how we only managed one goal against FC Cincinnati, and I am completely bamboozled by what Sam Junqua was doing on his way to getting roasted by M.C. McFlopsAlot (A.K.A. The Silver Haired Sissy....) to let an otherwise really good defensive game go completely to waste.  I understand that this is who we are, but I don't accept it yet because I'm a hard-headed eternal optimist that tends to have too much faith/hope/belief in my team.  After a week away in the bliss of the Colorado Mountainside, it was a harsh return to reality.  Let's go back over the whole experience and just wrap our heads all the way around it.

Segal and Rootes are beginning to make their mark.

Don't get me wrong, I am a 100% "Results are the only thing that matters" guy.  But it was hard not to notice the steps that had been taken to increase fan engagement at BBVA on Match Day.  While I'm most excited about Teenage Hadebe coming and Tim Parker extending, it was nice to see that there were actually some changes that were....well.....kind of cool.  The band playing outside the stadium before the game was fun, the light shows during the game were nice, and having a decent crowd that got pretty rowdy was really fun.  It would have been a perfect night for three points, but alas....we can't have everything.  By the way, when did the lights going out and everyone shining their cell phone lights become a thing?  I didn't even know what was going on, and it seemed like I was the only one who didn't get the memo.  I'm hoping this wasn't just because of 7-1-3 night, or because we were the only game in town for the 4th of July, but that this can actually become a trend.  I'm still hopeful that this team can make a playoff push, and we all know that in the game of Soccer the crowd can be your 12th man.  Fingers crossed that this is a routine, and not a grand opening party.

Major euphoria, followed by immediate....what?

From the opening kick, the Dynamo went right after FC Cincinnati.  Tab's squad jumped right on Cinci pressing high in the first few minutes, and it only took 2 minutes for it to take effect.  After the orange and blue were caught offsides on their first possession, the Dynamo stung with a quick strike that resulted in one of the quickest goals I've ever seen in a Dynamo game.  Tim Parker smashed one deep through the middle to a wide-open Maxi Urruti just beyond the mid-field circle. Urruti circled back and had Fafa Picault streaking right down the teeth of the defense.  This run opened a gaping hole on the left, where Urruti found Sam Junqua all alone with tons of space.  With both Geoff Cameron and Gustavo Vallecilla keying on Picault, Junqua's low cross found the left foot of our Friendly Neighborhood Canadian Tyler Pasher.  Junqua hit a wonderful bender to Pasher who was ducking back inside to the space created by Fafa's run.  Pasher blasted it into the far corner, and the Dynamo were up 1-0 only 2:18 into the game. The crowd exploded, and it was as loud as I've heard it inside BBVA for quite some time.  That soon ended, however, as the man who just created a spectacular chance gave away another one.

How Geoff Cameron's ball found its way both Junqua and Maynor Figueroa to a wide-open, on-side  Álvaro Barreal is simply dumbfounding. How these two defenders managed to play this ball soo poorly is inexcusable.  Junqua got completely turned around, and either didn't see the ball coming or simply doesn't know how to turn and find the ball.  Figueroa was frozen by Brenner, who was circling back but let the ball go through.  Maric tried to cut down the angle, but Barreal slipped it past him to tie the score.  While it was far from the end of the action on the night, it was the end of the scoring, and 5 minutes in we had our final score.

The Dynamo won every statistical category and still couldn't push through.....

Time of Possession (52% - 48%), Shots (21 - 11), Corners taken (10-1), Tackles (23-19), Areals won (22-6), and Houston only allowed 17 touches inside their own Penalty box the entire game.  The Dynamo reeled off nine straight shots in nine minutes (minutes 18-27) and had nothing to show for it.  About the only thing Cincinnati was generating during this time period was nominations for Best Supporting Actor.  Seriously, the last time I saw medical teams so often and in such a big hurry was when I was watching a Vietnam Documentary two weeks ago.  Somehow, every single time, Barreal (who was the major culprit) ended up running up and down just fine about 20 seconds later.  It was a miracle since I believe he found himself being attended to 6 times during the game.  I believe it was both eyes, his forehead, his face on a free-kick, his right ankle, his right ankle again, and his left knee.  This was seconded only by Edgar Castillo, who found himself needing the MASH unit 3 times during the game.  I'm pretty sure Cinci's medical team logged more meters run than their midfield did.  It made the game choppy, and BBVA's 20,021 extremely grumpy.  

The Dynamo also reeled off 6 of the first 7 shots of the second half from minutes 45-60, none of which even found their way to Keeper Kenneth Vermeer.  Despite the disappointing result, there were some positives to be found.  The Dynamo looked better in holding possession, they created some good pressure at times with their press, and for 89:55 Sam Junqua was the best player on the field (Seriously, he was the highest-rated player in the game by WhoScored). Maric actually saved the game twice in the last 10 minutes of the first half.  The first off a left-footed blast by Brenner, and the second in the 45th minute one a tremendous save after the ball found Isaac Atanga right outside the 6 Yard Box with no one in front of him.  Joe Corona headed it away, but Maric stoned Atanga and saved what-should-have-been a goal.  

The second half was very back and forth, with both teams creating stomach in throat moments, but no actual goals.  Things slowed down as the Dynamo tried to hold possession and build attacks, but Tab Ramos simply has no midfielders that can actually break down a defense through the middle.  If we can't break away on a counter down the wings, we really can't create anything of quality.   As much as we need Teenage Hadebe to be the player he was in Turkey, we need a central midfielder that can take advantage of space and create 2 v 1 opportunities in tight spaces.  Tab is beginning to press in spots during the second half, as you can tell we are wearing down after minute 40.  Our passing starts to be less crisp and short, our attacking presents less and less runs and combo play, and Tab doesn't use his bench early or often.  Last night we left 3 subs unused and didn't make any subs until the 74th minute.  You can watch on a nightly basis Pasher, Urruti, Memo, and Fafa wearing down and sprinting less and less.

Darwin Quintero came on in the 75th minute for Tyler Pasher with lots of energy but little in terms of actual effectiveness.  He brought a spark but also gave the ball away far too many times in the attacking third.  You can tell that he's a little rusty, and he had some really nice passes that were just a half a step off in timing.  He had Urruti breaking with Fafa just to his left that would have created a nice 2 v 1 chance in the 77th minute, but his pass was just a step too far for Urruti and it gave Cameron a chance to slide and knock it away. There was the crazy nutmmeg and drop off to Maxi Urruti in the 86th minute. It was all Dynamo in the final fifteen minutes of the game, but they simply couldn't break through Jaap Stam's defense.  When the final whistle blew, you could sense a collective shoulder drop from a rather rowdy crowd. It's the 4th straight draw, and 4 points in 4 games is not the pace or trend we need to be setting.  Will Hadebe play Wednesday against Seattle?  Can he help us hold a clean sheet?  Will he play at all, or will he be like Bajamich and Quintero, just another guy we paid a decent price for, with a tag that says he is important, but he never actually sees the field? 

Game Notes:

After the game Tab talked about how Lassiter could have helped in the attack, and while this is true, so could Darwin and Bajamich.  Bajamich has only played 42 minutes this year and has generated more offense than Lassiter has in 199.  Bajamich doesn't have the straight-line speed that Lassiter has, but is much better with the ball at his feet, is a better passer, and is better at cutting inside and one-touch passing as well.  I don't know why Tab refuses to use him, but it seems like he could get a few more looks.  

The Dynamo will be without Lassiter, Ceren, Pasher, Boniek, and Maynor for the rest of July, so he better find some depth and quality somewhere in squad.  With 4 games over that span to Seattle (July 7th), Vancouver (July 20th), San Jose (24th), and Real Salt Lake (31st), we can't afford to drop 12 points in 4 games to teams that we are fighting for playoff positions.  The good news is Seattle will lose both Roldan brothers,  Vancouver will be without Lucas Cavellini and Maxime Crepeau, and San Jose will be without Jackson Yueill. Real Salt Lake doesn't have a player on any Gold Cup Rosters.

Sam Junqua is unquestioningly our best Full Back going forward, adds a layer to the attack, but can't have defensive lapses.

He is not only our best fullback going forward, he's one of our best players with the ball at his feet.  He's shown that over the last several games.  He was mostly solid in defense on Saturday night, and the goal that he got burned on jumps out.  There were many times he was quietly right where he was supposed to be, heading the ball away or running step for step with Barreal.  But the one big mistake cost us 2 points, and at this level is one you simply can't make.

Derrick Jones has now started 9 consecutive games.

I really like Derrick Jones.  He's super long and stretches his legs out like Plastic Man to just snatch balls away from attackers.  He's surprisingly fast, and shuts down any attempts at areal attacks through the middle.  He's extremely solid at defending corners and set pieces too.  He gives up on plays, he sometimes just shuts down if he makes a mistake, and he needs to be more professional in his demeanor, but he's really helped this team this year playing under Tab Ramos.

The Dynamo have held possession in 2 games this year, and haven't won either.

That's right, the only other game the Dynamo have had more than 50% possession this year was the 1-2 loss to Portland on April 24th.

This is the first time we've drawing 20,000+ at BBVA against a team other than the L.A. Galaxy since 2018.

A 4-0 win to Atlanta United was on 3-3-2-18 was the last time BBVA saw this many tickets sold and the Galaxy not gracing the pitch.  To sell this many tickets against Cincinnati says something, I'm not sure what it is, but it's something.  Also, I think it's fun that there were a lot of FC Cincinnati fans at the game.  I enjoy the rivalry that away fans bring in the stadium on game day.

Oh Yeah.....DeRo!

Happy 4th Everyone!  Hope you are staying happy and safe.

Thanks again for reading.

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian

What could the Christian Ramirez move mean for the Dynamo Rotation? Hopefully more Bajamich.

 

Reports coming out of Scotland are that an agreement is already in place to move Dynamo Striker Christian Ramirez to Aberdeen.  Apparently, Ramirez and Aberdeen have already come to financial terms and the only current snag is the obtaining of a work permit from the Scottish Government.  Stephen Glass made a bid to buy Christian away from the Dynamo during his stint as interim manager at Atlanta but was rejected as the Dynamo were not yet ready to move away from him that late in the season.  With Urruti dominating time at the #9, and Rameriz unlikely to pry much of it away, the move should be a good one for both sides.  Ramirez's base salary of $775,000.00 is the Dynamo's 4th highest player, and just like their highest-paid player, and he is not in any real plans for Tab Ramos going forward.  

While the move removes a highly paid, underutilized player from the books, what could it do to the roster?  Ramirez had played 91 minutes on 6 appearances, mostly off the bench.  To be honest, I never really understood why the Dynamo brought a player of his payscale here anyway.  When we brought him here, Mauro Manotas was fully entrenched as the starter in front of him, and we paid him more than Manotas and Elis were making combined.  I'll never disparage the Dynamo front office from spending money, but it seemed like there could have easily been a better utilization of those funds over the last few years.  While I doubt there's a payday of any significance, and probably not enough for them to make a move that would actually strengthen the roster, what could this move do other than dump salary?

Honestly, this move concerns me from the standpoint we are losing a player capable of putting the ball in the back of the net with no proven player or plan to replace him.  My first guess would be Ariel Lassiter would take over this role.  Lassiter has consistently been the first number called by Ramos off the bench, and while I don't really get it I don't see it changing either.  There is one player I'd love to see in that role instead, but really I'm hoping this move opens up more time for Mateo Bajamich.

Bajamich....MORE BAJAMICH.

Honestly, in Bajamich's 42 minutes on the pitch this season, he's showed me just enough for me to say I'd like to see more.  His 2.14 goal-creating actions per 90 is three times higher than anyone else on the team. His 4.29 shot-creating actions per 90 is second on the team (behind Darwin Quintero).  He's shown good ball skills, good first touch, and moves well without the ball.  The Dynamo need someone who can give Urruti a break from time to time, and a player capable of filling in if Urruti happens to go down to injury (I'm viciously knocking on wood at the moment).  The summer months are here, and Urruti is playing a very demanding style.  Not only is he the tip of the spear, constantly trying to hold off multiple defenders while he holds up play, Tab's system also has him defending all over the pitch.  Urruti leads the team in Pressures by a long spell (163 to Fafa's 143) He's getting them in the attacking third (86), the middle third (66), and the defending third (11). His 163 pressures in 601 minutes played means he's spending a lot of time defending.  That's a pressure every 3.6 minutes.....from your center forward.  Bajamich's rate is close (9 pressures in 42 minutes, one every 4.6 minutes) but his success rate is much lower (Urruti - 28%, Bajamich - 11%). It's not Bajamich's defense that I'm interested in, however.  He's young and athletic enough to improve there, but his flash with the ball has been intriguing and I'd like to see more.

If given the option of Bajamich or Lassiter, I'll take Darwin Quintero.....er......uhm..... I mean Bajamich.  Mateo is only 21 years old and has shown good IQ, work rate, and skill.  He moves well without the ball and while he's only gotten 1 shot off on the year there's been enough there for him to see more minutes.  I want to be clear, I don't know that he can do what Christian Ramirez did here, and I don't know he's better than Lassiter.  I just know I want to see more of what he can do and I think he's earned it. He's the only player on the team with a +/- Expected goal that's a positive number (0.75) and his XG +/- on vs off is just behind Joe Corona for third on the team (1.41).  I understand for him to concrete himself in Tab's rotation, he needs to really improve on his defense, but in limited minutes he's made the most of his opportunities.  We know what Ariel Lassiter is, we know what he can do.  He's a better defender than in attack (4 goals, 1 assist in 1,700 MLS minutes), and he's not a reliable finisher.  I'd actually like to see if Bajamich can take Ramirez's role before we look outside the club for another player.  If Bajamich can fill this role, maybe we can upgrade a fullback or CB position in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

International Break:Teenage Hadebe, and roster drama; The Dynamo need this week off.

 

After an up and down first 8 games to the season in which the Dynamo have played a fairly difficult schedule, they finally get a much-needed break.  There were some really good performances, a couple of really bad performances, and a few that made us go......"meh".  Tim Parker, Fafa Picault, Maxi Urruti, Joe Corona, and Tyler Pasher have proven to be good additions to the squad, we've seen some experimentation that has helped (Boniek at Central Defense) and some that didn't (the 3-4-3 against Colorado, Memo playing large chunks at the wing), and some moves that have us scratching our heads (the constant appearances by Lassiter, the disappearance of Darwin Quintero, There are a few items of business that Tab and his crew need to take care of over the break, we'll take a look at those and Teenage Hadebe in this week's blog post.

Teenage Hadebe (Rumor) could give us a dynamic backline.

Depending on which report you read, Hadebe is between 5'11 and 6'1'.  He's long, he's rangy, he has good feet, and is a tuff & aggressive defender.  He plays balls in the air well, and he does a really good job playing angles.  He could help at both CB and LB, and has been battle-tested against some really good clubs.  He started in the 3-0 win over Fenerbahce, started at LB versus Galatasary in a 0-1 loss, started at CB vs. Besiktas in a 0-1 loss, and started again against Galatasary in a 1-3 loss.  Yeni Malatyspor isn't a Turkish League powerhouse, their a lower table team in a decent league.  But those three teams are quality teams and he went the full 90 against Champions League and Europa League qualifiers.  He's a left-footed left Center Back, which we could definitely use.  The only one we currently have is Maynor Figueroa, and he's 38.  We'll see what happens when the transfer window opens there, while I'm interested in how this develops, we've been down this road before.  The transfer is reported to be about 1.8 Million, which makes me highly doubt the move will actually happen.

The most intriguing part about this rumor (and I'm not giving it any serious consideration until I see it happen) is that it tells me they've already decided Ethan Bartlow can't play.  Why make this move is Ethan Bartlow was the guy they think he is?  Hadebe is only 25, it's not like he'd be a stopgap.  So if this move actually happens it would likely mean we missed on a high draft pick and have no plans to develop him here.  I think we all know that Alejandro Fuenmayor isn't in any future plans and we need to find a way to move him.  This could all be wrong and just a transfer rumor, but we aren't involved in these very often and so I have to speculate we at least made a call to see what it would take to get him. 

The Dynamo really need Tyler Pasher to get healthy:

Pasher adds depth and a dimension to the attack which just can't be replicated without him.  Memo doesn't have the speed or playmaking ability, and Ariel Lassiter doesn't have the skill.  Pasher helps get the ball forward, whether he's the one doing it or not.  Tyler can actually take defenders on and get past them, something that Memo really struggles with (only 20 attempts in 8 games, with a team-low 40% success rate) and something Lassiter seems incapable of (0/3 on 81 touches).  Fafa has really improved in this area over the last few games, but the guys playing on the other wing are adding nothing.  The only way Tab has been able to get production out of both wings in the last few games is to switch Fafa sides.  Bajamich has actually done really well in his limited minutes (and I believe needs more time), but to keep teams honest Pasher is our best option.  He's an important cog in this machine.  The Dynamo have the 5th most attempts at taking defenders on in the league (141) and the 5th lowest success rate (54.6%).  Derrick Jones is actually fairly solid at this (68.8%), and of the midfield, he's by far the best (Joe Corona - 47%, Matias Vera only has 8 attempts in 7 games, at 50% success) but we need a wing player that can stretch the defense and open gaps up the middle.  Tyler (opposite Fafa) is the best option we have.  He's not going to post enormous stats, but he makes plays and does his job. There's no secret to that.

Dear Parker, Maric, Fafa, and Urruti don't get off the couch.

They've played a ton of heavy minutes, Tab basically has no options off the bench at these positions, and we need them to be as healthy as possible.  Wrap yourself in bubble wrap, prop your feet up, and crank out some binge-watching on Netflix.  Hit the cryo chamber and take a few ice baths.  Freshen those legs up and get ready for the next stretch.  I actually think that Parker should have replaced Aaron Long for the Nation's League roster.  I'd take him over Tim Ream or Mark McKenzie at this point, but I'm also glad that he's able to keep those legs fresh and possibly hang out with Woody a little bit. I don't really like Maynor and Boniek playing in these games, but of the two I'm glad Boniek wasn't in the starting 11 (selfishly) against USMNT.  While we actually have some depth in the midfield, the front and back lines are currently paper thin and as we can see with Pasher going down one injury can throw large kinks in our lineup.  Parker has been extremely reliable on the backline, he's helped transform this defense and is constantly in the right place at the right time.  While Boniek has done an admirable job back there this year, Parker doesn't have a reliable partner much less a backup.  He's completely irreplaceable.  Fafa has been the biggest threat going forward almost all year, and with Pasher out the only threat we have at the counter-attack.  Not only that, the work rate of both he and Urruti has led to the positive showings in the early going.  Fafa and Urruti are covering the entire field.  It's fairly regularly you see Fafa knocking away crosses into Maric's area, or Urruti tracking back to chase down oposing attacks.  Not only is their ability to press high vital towards Tab's tactics, but their willingness to work in the defending third helped secure points in all three games they've won.  That work comes at a cost, especially with the brutal Houston summer coming up.  Every chance we get to rest, we need to take it.

We have a fairly brutal & compressed schedule after the break:

June 19th - @ LAFC

June 23rd - Home vs. Portland Timbers

June 26th - @ Real Salt Lake

July 3rd - Home vs. FC Cincinnati

July 7th - @ Seattle Sounders.

Picking up 8 or more points from this stretch is hugely important to hold our current position in the table, and we'll need every healthy body we have to do it.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Dynamo fail big test on the road to Sporting KC

 

Ugh....

On a night where the Dynamo were matched up with rivals SKC in a packed Children's Mercy Park, they somehow clung to a 1-0 lead at the half.  That game shortly turned right after the break, when Peter Vermes' squad began to completely expose flaws in this Dynamo squad.  Yes, Gianluca Busio's strike was perfection on the free-kick, but the foul that led to it was indicative of the problems that the Dynamo were having in the defending third all night.  The cracks were apparent early.  Sporting found their way through on their very first possession of the game.  It took .22 seconds for Gadi Kinda to find a way through on the wing, and the Dynamo were lucky that Zarek Valentine drew a foul. Immediately you could see that Sporting KC's press was going to cause problems, and without a player capable of breaking them down through the middle on the pitch we had to hope that Tabs team could hold them off the scoreboard. At 2:55, Khiry Shelton blew by Boniek only to find the pass from Ille Sanchez a foot too long.  The Dynamo managed to connect one pass before Adam Lundkvist gave it back at midfield. KC was dominating possession and finding gaping wholes that led to a numbers advantage on literally every attack.  In the first 5 minutes of play, the Dynamo connected on a grand total of 4 passes, and never held the ball across midfield. 

It wasn't until the 10:47 minute mark when the Dynamo finally found their way across midfield and formulated some semblance of an attack.  When Fafa won the ball in the corner, and fired a ball that ended up to a streaking Mattias Vera (after a bad touch from Urruti) the Dynamo found their way in front 1-0.  The goal completely went against the run of play, because the Dynamo were really struggling at the time.  Vera made a great effort to get the ball and put his left foot on it.  It was the Dynamo's first real threat of the game, and Vera put a good finish on it for his first career MLS goal.  

Kansas City was completely unfazed, they simply went right back to work.  Sporting was methodical, they moved the ball, they found open space, and if they didn't get what they wanted from a possession they simply went and got the ball back.  The Dynamo didn't cross midfield again until the 22-minute mark, and that was off an errant pass by Sporting KC.  They didn't connect on a single pass across midfield until Tim Parker found Vera on a 30-yard strike at the 33-minute mark,(which Vera couldn't control and gave back). They didn't enter the attacking third until the 37-minute mark when Derrick Jones finally won a challenge just right of the box but that possession ended with Jones being stuck in the corner and giving it back after he crossed the touchline.  There was no attack in the attack.  The Dynamo didn't complete a pass in the final third again until the 41st minute, and in reality it was only their second completed pass in the final third for the entire half.

The second half began the same, with Sporting winning 3 straight corners in the 1st minute of the half.  On the third, Urruti played a deep ball to Fafa, but Graham Zusi chased it down with a wonderful sliding tackle.  Down 1-0, Sporting was in no hurry to change the game plan.  They were methodical, moving the ball and moving the Dynamo like a chess match.  That all culminated from minute 50-60.  KC didn't just win this 10 minutes, they had dominated the game in every way and were losing 1-0.  When Busio hit that amazing free-kick (and make no mistake, it as a tremendous strike), you knew we were in trouble.  On back-to-back plays: (1) Derrick Jones had gotten the ball taken away from him in a bad position leading to Salloi's run (2) The ensuing corner, Valentine had a terrible header into the middle of the field that led to Vera's foul. The Dynamo simply couldn't connect anything or get the ball across midfield.  They won their first corner at the 53rd minute. Tim Parker got a nice head on it, but Melia was in the right place to knock it away.  The Dynamo looked like they were going to break ahead off the counter at the 57-minute mark. Fafa had chased down a deflection by Vera and had a 2 on 1 with Urruti.  He played a really nice chipper over the defender leaving Urruti alone with the keeper.  Urruti took too many touches, got chased down from behind, and had the ball taken away from him by 2 KC defenders.  Soon after Pulido got the go-ahead instead on his penalty, then Kenda got free on the counter.  This was the first counter-attack goal the Dynamo have given up this year, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.  Lassiter came on for Memo shortly thereafter, and the combination of fresh legs and some speed opposite Fafa seemed to spark the team a little, but Lassiter immediately gave the ball away trying to take on Zusi and whiffed at a tremendous chance off a pinpoint cross from Fafa. Darwin Ceren helped hold down the midfield and was the best Dynamo player in the midfield at stringing passes together on the night.

The Dynamo attack looked better after Lassiter and Ceren came on, Bajamich came on at the 79-minute mark for Vera and gave a little spark.  He earned a corner on his very first touch and got his head on the ensuing corner.  He got the assist on Urruti's goal and really put some pressure on KC's backline both going forward and in the press.  Urruti got the late consolation goal, but it was too little too late.  The Dynamo are a terrible road team, and this year has done nothing to change that.  They are (and excuse me if I use the European style here) 0 (wins) 1 (draw) 3 (losses) on the year, after going 1-4-7 last year and 1-0-15 the year before.  In 2018 they went 2-5-11 on the road, making them 4-9-36 on the road over the last four years.  

It was worse than the final score, and your eyes said:

Sporting KC was better, faster, stronger, more physical, quicker on the ball, literally whatever you want to say, Sporting was it.  They dominated all the key stats: 69% Possession, 21 Shots (9 on target) to 10 by the Dynamo, 665 passes to 328, 20 interceptions and 23 tackles, and 11 corners to 4.  Sporting simply dominated this game, yet the Dynamo had a real chance to pick up points.  Urruti and Lassiter both had real chances to get goals.  Urruti took too many chances and let the defense catch up, and Lassiter swung and missed at a sure-fire goal after a great cross from Fafa. 

Marco Maric kept the Dynamo in it for a half:

His save on Roger Espinosa's attempt at the 39th minute was superb. His diving save on Khiry Shelton's header at the 41st minute was also tremendous. He got just enough on Daniel Salloi's 49th-minute attempt that Ludqinst was able to knock it away.  After a tremendous through ball by Gadi Kenda, Salloi was alone with Maric streaking down the right flank.  Maric just got his armpit on it and slowed it down just enough for Adam to get there.  He had another tremendous save on yet another free-kick strike from Busio in the 82nd minute keeping the Dynamo somewhat in the game.

He didn't even try to play the ball from Busio, but honestly, he had no chance if he had.  He guessed wrong on Pulido's penalty kick, but Pulido is a bona fide goal scorer with experience, not many keepers are stopping that.  His distribution was actually good, and you know that because you didn't notice it. Marco is showing consistently that he is a good keeper, but he needs more help in front of him.

Vera and Jones were surprisingly terrible in possession, and Corona disappeared:

Jones' soft lay down in the 48th minute was somewhat indicative of his game. He gave the ball away on the play that led to Salloi's attempt, he gave the ball away on the play that led to Kenda's goal.  What made the play worse is he pouted and trotted back while Vera was scrambling trying to set in between Parker and Boniek.  This compressed the defense and left Kenda all alone on the left flank.  Busio actually had 2 to chose from. Memo beat him back to the midfield, even Maxi Urruti beat him there.  After several weeks of glowing reviews, this outing as a major disappointment.  He had moments, but he wasn't there going forward.  He got frustrated and it looked like his frustrations got the better of him.

Vera's foul on Kenda was the spark that ignited the fire.  You can say what you want about the call, but it looked like an unquestionable foul to me.  It was Vera's second foul, and while I applaud his effort he was already sitting on a Yellow and was lucky he didn't get a second one.  He had uncharacteristically given the ball away several times in bad positions in the first half, and couldn't find open space in the midfield.  When he got the ball, Busio was on him like glue. Memo only attempted 19 passes through his 79 minutes of play, and while he was his usual accurate self (16/19), only one of them was a progressive pass (downfield of more than 10 or more yards).  He had a season-low 1 recovery.  He was second to the ball more often than usual, and it wasn't for lack of effort.  He didn't even get credit for trying to dribble past a single KC defender. While Vera strings things together nicely at times, he looked like he was fending off a swarm of angry bees for most of this match.  He also committed 5 fouls in the midfield altogether.  Just not a great night from Matias.

I don't even know where Corona was, the only times I noticed him, he was giving the ball away. 0 tackles, 1 interception, 18 pressures, and was owned by Busio for most of the night.  

Boniek was no match for KC's front line:

He was beaten early and often by everyone who matched up against him.  He was drawn up high on Khiry Shelton's header, leaving a wide-open space for the big man to run into.  His clearance right after halftime almost ended up as an own goal. Boniek was soo bad, if you took the foul that led to the penalty away, he still played a terrible game.  While the stats show that he was busy (4 interceptions, 6 clearances, 90% Passing Rate), he committed 4 fouls and was routinely beaten or out of position. Part of that stat accumulation is just simply because of how much Sporting had the ball in their attacking third. Sporting was targeting him, and the way they were creating movement on his side was putting him in really bad spots.  Khiry Shelton would drop deep, creating space for Espinosa to run in behind.  This was putting Ludkqvist in a bad spot, and creating a 2-1 between Espinosa, Pulido, and Garcia.  When the ball was opposite, Pulido would hold Garcia while Shelton ran into the space behind him in the box. This was what led to the penalty.  Pulido cut across in front of Boniek, who reached for the ball poorly.  You can't make this foul in the box.  It's a foul every single day, every single time, at every level.  A vet like Boniek should know better. He had another terrible foul on Johnny Russell in the 81st minute that led to a yellow card and Busio almost banged home another one. He got beat badly by Russell again in the 86th minute, trying to track down a ball and completely left Tim Parker hanging out to dry 1 v 3 with an entire half-pitch of grass at Sporting KC's disposal. That one took Maxi Urruti tracking all the way back to stop. This was by far Boniek's worst game of the year.  

Other notes:

• Where was Memo? In the first half, Memo had a total of 6 touches.  Of the touches he got, 5 were on the wrong side of midfield and resulted in a back pass or a turnover, and 1 touch was in the final third and resulted in a cross.  His first touch in the second half, he dribbled into a trap, tried to split it, and gave the ball back instead. On his second touch of the second half, he fell down and got a handball call.  He was subbed off in the 65th minute, but was nonexistent most of this game.
• Maxi Urruti was unbelievable tracking back.  He raced back to stop a goal in the 87th minute, and constantly throughout the game you saw him race back to take a midfield position after someone was caught too high.  It was nice to see him get the goal, but his defensive work was tremendous in this game. Also, Urruti now has more goals than Manotas had last year.
• Busio and Kenda combined for 62 pressures, 5 interceptions, 7 tackles, 4 blocks, and 117 passes completed.  Oh, and they also nabbed 2 goals and 1 assist.  
  
  
  

Yellow Card Watch:

Thanks again for reading, 

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange